Rosalie's Padella

Our garden has been churning out zucchini like there's no tomorrow.  I'm almost to the point of "I never want to see another zucchini again". However I am really enjoying this very easy sausage, tomato, zucchini dish.  You can't go wrong with an easy dinner, that everyone enjoys and best of all there is only 1 skillet to wash!

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

8 ounces Italian sausage

3 cups stale French bread, torn into about 1 to 2 inch pieces

1 pound tomato, chopped, with juice and seeds

1 pound zucchini, quartered and sliced

1/4 cup basil, leaves only, torn into small pieces

Salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, to taste

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté olive oil, onion, garlic and sausage. Sauté for about 8 minutes, or until meat is brown and onion and garlic are softened. Drain excess oil from the pan so there is about 2 tablespoons remaining.

Add chopped zucchini to the pan with the sausage. Increase heat to medium high, and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the zucchini is just beginning to soften. Add tomatoes and their juice, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes begin to release more of their juice in the pan.

Toss the French bread into the pan, stirring the bread so it begins to absorb the cooking juices. Add salt and pepper and continue to cook until all the vegetables are tender, and the mixture starts to appear drier and the bread is heated all the way through, about 6 minutes more.

Toss in the torn basil leaves at the last minute.  Divide onto plates and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6

Recipe: Rosalie's padella.  Laura Gilliam  

Curried Carrot Soup

Between our own garden and the CSA we belong to we have ended up with a lot of carrots! I am not a huge raw carrot fan, but I found this recipe and it is really quite good.  My 16 month old drinks glasses of it and my 3 old uses it as a dip for her grilled cheese sandwiches.  It makes a great tomato soup alternative and is super easy to make.

I put a dollop of yogurt on the kid's soup to cut the heat of the curry

ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter 

1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 quart vegetable stock
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

whole milk, plain yogurt
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Heat butter in a Dutch oven or large (4- to 5-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add broth, carrots, and 21⁄2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

With an immersion blender (if you don't have one just use a regular blender - just be careful not to put too much hot liquid in at once) puree soup until smooth. Add butter and more water to thin to desired consistency. Check the seasonings. If you used homemade vegetable stock you may need quite a bit more salt. Reheat, if necessary. Stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with yogurt and cilantro, if desired.

Serves 4

Adapted from Martha Stewart Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've tried a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes, but these are my favorite.  Lots of chocolate and a perfect balance between crispy and chewy.  I always have a variety of baking chocolate on hand, but if I am short on either the milk or semi-sweet chocolate I make up the difference with some bittersweet chocolate.  And they taste just as good with 3 kinds of chocolate.  The cookies also freeze really well - you can save them for a later date or if you're like me you can eat them straight out of the freezer!

ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
3⁄4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
11⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1⁄2 tsp salt
11⁄2 cups chopped, Scharffen Berger, semisweet chocolate
1⁄2 cup finely chopped, Scharffen Berger, milk chocolate

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about five minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on medium speed until thoroughly combined, two to three minutes. Again scrape the bowl to make sure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated.

Mix together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking soda and salt. Add both chocolates to the flour mix and toss to combine. Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly blend the flour-chocolate mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until the flour and chocolate are totally incorporated and the dough is completely mixed.
Scrape the dough into a container and let rest in the refrigerator for a day before baking. The next day, heat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Drop the dough in 1⁄4 cup balls (I like to make mine smaller, I just use a spoon to gather up some dough and roll it into a ball. Otherwise, the cookies are huge and this way I can almost double the batch!) onto a baking sheet about two inches apart. Press dough balls down slightly with the palm of your hand. If the batter does not fit all on one tray drop cookies on a second baking sheet and bake when the first tray is finished. If you have only one sheet tray, bake one batch and then cool the tray by running it under cold water before baking a second batch. Bake until cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. The unbaked dough can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
Makes 24

Recipe from Flour, by Joanne Chang. You can find the original recipe on her website: http://flourbakery.com/press/flour-bakery-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe